Women secure dramatic one-wicket win

SUFFOLK Women pulled off a dramatic one-wicket win over Cornwall in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup on Sunday, writes Jack Oastler.

A tenth-wicket partnership of 43 between debutant Poppy Smart and Maddy Reynolds took their side over the line in a tense chase of 162.

Despite losing the toss and being asked to bowl, Suffolk were on top from the start at a sunny Ipswich School. Reynolds made the early breakthroughs, getting one opener to play on, before clean bowling the other.

Sanjana Kang-Mullen, batting at No.4, got things moving again for Cornwall with a run-a-ball 16. She drove aerially through long-on for four off Izzy Sidhu, but the leg spinner struck back in the next over: Kang-Mullen top-edged a sweep, which Sidhu settled herself under and caught.

It would be 23 overs before Suffolk took their next wicket, but 22 before they conceded their next boundary. Faced with a diet of spin – Immy Sidhu (0 for 26) and Laila Hollis providing the off spin, Izzy Sidhu (1 for 25) and Sophie Hughes serving up left-arm leg spin – Cornwall’s fourth-wicket partnership nibbled their way to 56 runs, at about two-and-a-half runs per over.

Hughes ended the resistance with a ball which beat the swing, and straightened onto the top of off stump. The wicket was no less than she deserved: her ten overs cost just sixteen.

Kellie Williams came to the crease and ran a trio of twos, injecting some much-needed intent into the innings. However, when trying to run a single to mid-off, Amelie Clarke fielded cleanly and got a direct hit on the stumps at the keeper’s end. Joleigh Roberts, who had fought her way to 41, sprinted but was short of her ground.

Captain Lara Neild brought herself on for the 42nd over, and had a wicket immediately thanks to another bit of Clarke magic. Grace Ellis was tempted into a drive, which flew to the left of mid-off where a diving Clarke held on.

The next over cost 14, so Hollis was brought back to stop the flow of runs. She had Williams (21) caught at cover with the first legal ball of the spell, but went one better in her second over: a drive was caught at mid-off, before Amaili Miles popped an easy catch back to the bowler. The spinner finished with her best Suffolk figures of 3 for 35.

Neild ended Cornwall’s innings on 161 with five balls to go, bowling Laura Baldwin to pick up her second wicket.

Suffolk would have been confident chasing 162, but on a ground with large boundaries and a slow outfield they were going to have to work for it.

Cornwall seamer Ellis produced a hostile second over to see off Clarke, but No.3 Immy Sidhu got Suffolk moving with a powerful cut to the cover-point boundary.

Opener Petra Tweedy then cracked successive boundaries either side of the wicket, before the pair saw off Ellis with a boundary each. Suffolk were well set at 42for 1, a quarter of the way to the target after ten overs.

Spinner Karla Rose changed the game with the eleventh over, taking two wickets in two balls to bring Megan Haynes to the crease. The Suffolk all-rounder took a single to get off the mark and take her side to 50, before swivel-pulling expertly for four through backward square leg.

Rose responded by conjuring up some magic to take her third wicket. She bowled it relatively full, on a sixth-or seventh-stump line, and it ripped back to clip the top of off-stump.

Hughes joined Sidhu, and the pair rebuilt calmly – finding gaps and running twos – to see out the end of Rose’s spell. With four overs still to bowl, though, the danger was still lurking.

When Sidhu fell for an important 23, Hughes took her side past half-way with consecutive boundaries. The first went powerfully through long-on (to the longest boundary in the ground) before she dispatched a full toss through a vacant mid-wicket.

Two wickets for Cornwall’s Roberts took Suffolk to the precarious position of 92 for 7, still needing 70 to win. But with batters all the way to No.11, the Suffolk support still had belief.

Izzy Sidhu came out to join wicket-keeper Smart, and the pair ran hard to put the pressure back on the bowlers. Smart took charge in the 28th over: a pair of fours pulled out to mid-wicket took them to within 50 of their target.

Cornwall brought back their premier bowler, and she had one more say with the ball, getting one to leave Sidhu, who was caught at slip, to take her figures to 4 for 24. Rose then intervened once more with a run-out, and Suffolk were staring down the barrel at 122 for 9.

With 20 overs remaining, Suffolk just had to remain composed and not lose any more wickets. Reynolds, in at No.11, showed that she was up for the challenge, scoring her first runs with a confident cut behind point for two.

The pair were alert, running on wides and farming singles to keep the score ticking over. A tricky slower bowler was brought on, and kept it full with a legside-heavy field, proving difficult to get away, but the batters kept their cool.

Reynolds swept to deep backward square, and the batters ran hard for three to take the target into single figures. The all-rounder ran a single to fine leg, before they took one each through mid-wicket to end the 40th over needing four to win.

Smart took the initiative to run on a wide which was fumbled by the keeper, then crunched a single past cover to level the scores before Reynolds sealed the unlikely win with a powerful drive to long-off for four.

The last partnership of the innings was the highest, with the pair putting on an unbeaten 43. Reynolds’ calm 16, plus her two early wickets, proved vital, while Smart stood apart on debut.

The Northants loanee is pictured above with the Player of the Match award from sponsors JLS Catering for her 37 not out.

Suffolk are back in action on August 24^th, hosting Dorset in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Sudbury.

Scorecard

Tags: Cornwall, Ipswich School, Maddy Reynolds, Metro Bank One-Day Cup, Poppy Smart

Categorised in: Suffolk Women, Womens Cricket